Rain is a beautiful thing. Not the rainbow at the end, but the rain itself. My life has not been perfect, it still isn’t. My sin had crashed over me, wave after wave after wave and I was forced to make a choice- drown or find air. I needed to learn how to get through it. I will not throw a bunch of cliques on you during this study, “if it’s meant to be, it’ll be; God will not give you anything you can’t handle, it is what it is.” All of those things are true, but Satan. He makes every attempt to steal those truths and replace them with clouds of doubt and purposelessness. Pay attention. Is the cup half empty or half full? Imma just tell you, my cup was DRY- not a half nothing. The heat and fire of Satan had evaporated everything in my cup, and because I let him, he took the blessings buried in there too. We’re going to learn to find the unique moments that God gives you to collect and hold and draw strength from during difficult times, the lovely amongst satans lies. Are you ready?
Romans 5. “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perservenance, character, and character hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because Gods love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been give to us” Romans 5:3-5
The watered down truth of that… were going to suffer. We have to. I mean don’t we deserve it a little? I have. This pain teaches us to keep moving; not to quit when things are messy or just yuck or uncertain but preserverve. And why? “Why can’t I sit on the couch with a glass of wine and Ben and Jerrys because the world is mean and I’m hurt and I don’t understand so I’ll just shut everything out? Can’t I?” No babe, Because Wine and ice cream touches the belly, it doesn’t touch the soul. Push through it because it’s building your character. It’s teaching you to be who God intended you to be. Y’all, God shows me a new piece of me everyday, of what I am, what I’m supposed to be. I’ve been nursing for 6 years, sounds certain right? Not so much. God is building me to what HE intended for me, not what I picked for myself. Character building sucks. Or maybe mine was just so bad that He said nope, girl we got to scrape allll this off, you needs ta start fresh. So that’s what he did. He hand peeled the ugly off of me (picture one of those charcoal face masks for life). It hurt. It still does but hope.. all of these steps carries us to hope because HOPE DOES NOT PUT US TO SHAME. He doesnt mask us up then peel us down to say “shew when’s the last time you washed up your life girl this is GROSS” He peels us down to basic to work. Don’t look at what falls off of you, it’s not for shame. That skin feels so soft when the nasty is peeled off.. and what’s better? Now that you are bare and fresh and exposed Gods love is poured out. His blood is poured all over us, into our hearts, into our souls. You see? You have to peel. It has to hurt. But the blood heals. Pain is not purposeless, it’s freeing. That cross… that painful death was not purposeless, it was for freedom. It has been given to us.
“And the God of all Grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen” 1st Peter 5:10-11
As we prepare to dig into week one of this study, meditate on these two pieces of scripture. Overlap them. Suffer, only for a little while, but get through it, because he’s going to build your character and restore you. Not to shame you but to make you strong and firm and steadfast; to give you hope because it has been given to us and in Him the power is forever. 
Y’all, I know life is heavy. It comes in wave after crashing wave and you find it hard to breathe sometimes, much less swim- but God sees. Swim. He sees; He knows, and He’s healing. Push through it. Don’t be afraid of the waves, even the sea obeys Him. And when He feels like you’re ready, He’ll make them stop. So swim, swim until He does.
Love y’all,
Katie